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Aardvarks
Aardvarks are medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammals native to Africa.Hoiberg, Dale H. (2010) Appearance Somewhat small and pig-like in appearance, aardvarks are stout and sturdy creatures. On average, adults can grow to be between 43 and 53 inches long, weighing anywhere from 110 to 180 pounds.http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/aardvark/ Aardvarks have light coverings of pale yellowish-gray fur that are stained brown by soil, though their primary outer protection is their tough skin. Information In the Real World Native to sub-Saharan Africa, aardvarks live in a variety of different environments, most notably bushland, grassland, savanna, and woodland. These areas are most suitable for their kind due to the excess amount of food available to them. Aardvarks are solitary by nature as well as nocturnal, and feed exclusively on ants and termites, though they have been observed to eat one type of fruit, the aardvark cucumber. Typically emerging after sunset to hunt, aardvarks use their long noses to sniff out prey. They will use their powerful front legs to dig into the soil of a suitable insect nest and then lap up the insects with their sticky tongues. Their long claws are considerably strong, used primarily to break through the mounds built up by insects. To avoid dust, their nostrils seal while hunting. As many as 50,000 insects in one night have been recorded. In addition, an aardvark can dig two feet in 15 seconds.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z5OoBqqYsk&t=0m46s Their keen hearing helps to warn them against oncoming predators, which include hyenas, leopards, lions, and pythons. The amazing digging ability of the aardvark is also put to use in building burrows for the animal. Their main burrow is dug primarily for the purpose of mating, while other scattered nests are built as refuges. Aardvarks continuously abandon old dens in order to build new ones, though their old nests are often inhabited by other creatures, such as the painted wolf. Only mothers and young share burrows. In King of the Jungle During early production of The Lion King, when it was initially titled King of the Jungle, an aardvark named Daabi was cast to be a close friend of Simba and Nala's. At the draft's climax, she and her cousin aardvarks were meant to contribute to the defeat of Scar. In The Lion King In script for the film from 1992., aardvarks were supposed to be shown in the deleted song To Be King. In [[The Hakuna Matata Magazine Series|The Hakuna Matata Magazine Series]] The Shiny Stones An aardvark named Arnold befriends Timon. Notable Aardvarks * Arnold is a friend of Timon's in The Shiny Stones. * Daabi is a deleted character from King of the Jungle. Gallery Babyaardvark.png|An infant aardvark Babyaardvark2.png|An infant aardvark Babyaardvark3.png|An infant aardvark Babyaardvark4.png|An infant aardvark Momandyoung.png|A mother and her young Momandyoung3.png|A mother and her young Momandyoung4.png|A mother and her young Momandyoung5.png|A mother and her young Aardvark2.png|An adult aardvark Anatomyaardvark.png|An adult aardvark Aardvark5.png|An adult aardvark Aardvark3.png|An aardvark emerging from its den Aardvarkingrass.png|An aardvark in the wild Aardvark4.png|A hunting aardvark Huntingaardvark.png|An aardvark scrounging for food Restingaardvarks.png|A pair of resting aardvarks Arnold.png|Arnold as he appears in The Shiny Stones Video References Category:Aardvarks Category:Animals Category:Groups